Submarine boat.



No. {726,085- PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

H. H. MORRELL. SUBMARINE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED JANPIB, 1903. 7

IO MODEL. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVEN 70/? 1 2 417; ffawe .jforra'll A TTORNE PATENTED APR. 2 1, 1903. H. H-. MORRELL. SUBM ARINE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED JANJB, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

I 2 sums-51mm 2.

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Tm: anna s PETERS no PMoTauniQ, wAsmNu'mp. 5

UNITED STATES .7

PATENT ()EEIQE.

I HARRY HOUSE oRR LnYoENEw'sUE oLx, N W YORK.

SUBM A'RLN' B A SPECIFICATION-forming part Of -LettersiPatent 1\'l'o. 726,085, dated April 21,1903.- Application filed January 16, 19%. Serial N0. 139.297. (No model.) I

To all whom itmcty concern:

Be it known thatI, HARRY HOUSE;MOR-' BELL, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of New Suffolk, in the county of Suf-' folk and State of New York, have invented Boats, of which the following is a fnll, clear,' and exact description. I The object of theinvention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in sub marine boats whereby a convenient means is afiorded for the escape of the occupants in case the submerged boat becomes disabled and incapable of rising to the surface of the water, the said means also permitting a diver or other person to leave'the boat for investigating or other purposes. v

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in thefclaims.

A practical embodimentof the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which similar characters of reference indicate cor: responding parts in both views. j

Figure 1 is a transversesection'of the im provement, and Fig." 2-is a longitudinal'sectional elevation of the same.

a chamber B preferably depending from the top of the shell and having a door Ovfor permitting persons to pass from the chamber into the interior of the boat, or vice versa, and in the top of the chamber is arranged an escape D, preferably made tubular and extending downward a distance into the chamber to form, with the latter, an air-lock or breathingspace' E in case the water flows through the escape D into the said chamber, as shown in Fig. 2} The top ofthe escape D opens directly into the Water surrounding the boat, as shown, and the said escape is preferably concentric with the chamber B to form a ringshaped air-lock or breathing-space to readily accommodate one or more persons, as the case may be. The escape D may be the conningtower of the boat, and the chamber B may be either a permanent fixture of the boat or a I portable one adapted to be set up in case of need; butin'every instanee it is necessary that the escape D and the chamber B form an air-lock or breathing-space, so that when the chamber fills with water it drives the air water, thereby effecting their escape.

The escape D is provided on thetop wit an outwardly-opening cover F, hinged at F and provided at its fulcrum end with a segmental worm-wheel F in mesh with a worm -G, fastened on the upper end of a shaft G,

extending through a stuffing-boxG; to the insideof the chamber B, and on the lower end of the said shaft is secured a'bevel gearwheel G in mesh at opposite sides with bevel gear-wheels H and I, secured on shafts H and 1, respectively, of which the shaft H extends .Within the chamber B and is provided witha hand-wheel under the control of the person within the ch'amber B. The other shaft 1 extends througha stuffing-box 1 to the inside ofthe boat, and on the inner end of the said shaft is secured a hand-wheel I under the. control of a person within the boat, so that either a person in the chamber B or a person within the boat outside of the chamber can manipulate the cover F, so as to swing the same into an open or closed position, it being understood that when either shaft H or I is rotated a rotary motion is given to the worm-shaft G',-Which bythe worm G and worm-wheel F imparts a swinging motion to the cover F, so as to swing the same into an open or closed position, according to the direction in which the corresponding hand-wheel H or I? is turned.

Into the upper end of the air-lock or breathing-space E opens an air-supplypipe J, connected with a suitable source of compressedair supply, and in the said pipe J is arranged an inlet-valve K and an air-discharge valve L, of which the latter opens into the boat, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1. The stems K and L of the valves K and L are each provided with two handles, one inside the chamer B and one outside thereof, within the boat, so that the valves K and L can be manipulated either from within the chamber B or within the boat.

From the bottom of the chamber B leads an outlet-pipe N for carrying off water, and the said pipe is provided with a Valve N, having its valve-stem N extending through a stufting-boxll to pass within the chamber B, and on the said stem N are secured handwheels N and N of which the latter is located inside of the chamber B and the other outside thereof, within the boat. Thus the valve N can be opened or closed either from within the chamber B or from within the boat.

Now when the cover F is closed and it is desired to discharge the water in the chamber B then the valve N is opened and airpressure is let into the air-lock or space E by way of the pipe J, so as to drive the water out of the said chamber to empty the same, the water passing byway of the pipe N to a tank or other suitable place of discharge. If desired, the pipe N may be connected with a pipe 0, having a valve 0 and leading to a pump to pump the water out of the chamber B when the cover Fis closed and air-pressure is not available. The water may also be drained out of the chamber B by connecting the pipe N with a drain-pipe P, leading to a suitable place of discharge within the submarine boat.

The operation is as follows: When the cover F is closed and the submarine boat becomes disabled while submerged and not capable of rising to the surface and the occupants of the boat desire to escape, then one of the occupants passes through the door 0 into the chamber B, then closes the said door 0 and swings the cover F open, so that the water surrounding the boat flows through the escape D into the chamber B to form an air-lock or breathing-space E, as previously described, for the person in the chamberB to breathe in. This person now dives under, as previously de scribed, and passes through the escape D to the surface of the water, and then a second person within the boat manipulates the handwheel 1 so as to close the cover F, and then manipulates the necessary devices described for discharging the water from the chamber B. When this has been done and the chamber B is again emptied of the waterpreviously admitted, then the door 0 is opened and the second person passes into the chamber B, then closes the door C and repeats the abovedescribed operationthat is, first opens the cover 11 to allow water to pass into the chamber to form the air-lock or breathing-space, then escapes through the escape D to the surface of the water. This operation is successively repeated by all the occupants of the boat, so that each one can readily effect an escape. It will be also seen that the ar rangement described afiords a convenient means for a diver to leave the submerged boat for investigating or other purposes.

The chamber B is provided at the air-lock portion E with a window Q to enable persons Within the boat to see when a person has escaped from the chamber B.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A submarine boat having an escape opening directly into the water when the boat is submerged, and local means in'the boat for receiving the water passing through the escape, the said means serving to retain the water and thereby form a breathing-space adjacent to the escape, as set forth.

2. A submarine boat having a chamber within the boat and provided with a tubular escape extending into the chamber, to form with the latteran air-lock or breathing-space when the chamber fills with water, the top of the escape opening directly into the water surrounding the boat, as set forth.

3. A submarine boat having a chamber within the boat and provided with means for establishing connection between the chamber and the interior of the boat, and an escape extending downwardly into the chamher, to form with the latter an air-lock or breathing-space at the time the chamber fills with water through the said escape, as set forth.

4. A submarine boat having a chamber within the boat and provided with a tubular escape extending into the chamber, to form with the latter an air-lock or breathing-space when the chamber fills with water, the top of the escape opening directly into the water surrounding the boat, and a door leading from the chamber into the interior of the boat, as set forth.

5. A submarine boat having a chamber within the boat and provided with a tubular escape extending into the chamber, to form with the latter an air-lock or breathing-space when the chamber fills with water, the top of the escape opening directly into the water surrounding the boat, a cover for the said escape, and mechanism for operating the cover to move the same into an open or closed position from within the chamber, as set forth.

6. A submarine boat having a chamber within the boat and provided with a tubular escape extending into the chamber, to form with the latter an air-lock or breathing-space when the chamber fills with water, the top of the escape opening directly into the water surrounding the boat, and an air-supply for the said air-lock or breathing-space, as set forth.

7. A submarine boat having a chamber within the boat and provided with a tubular escape extending into the chamber, to form With the latter an air-lock or breathing-space In testimony whereof I have signed my when the chamber fills with Water, the top of name to this specification in the presence of the escape opening directly into the Water two subscribing witnesses.

surrounding the boat, acover for the said escape, mechanism for opening or closing the said cover, and means for discharging the water from the said chamber, as set forth.

HARRY HOUSE MORRELLi Witnesses: H. W. NoBLI'r, O. J. WALLACE. 

